The Detroit Lions (4-7) Week 13 opponent, the Chicago Bears (5-6), have released their injury designations ahead of Sunday’s game.
The Detroit Lions (4-7) Week 13 opponent, the Chicago Bears (5-6), have released their injury designations ahead of Sunday’s game and nine players are listed as questionable, including five starters.
Here’s a look at the Bears’ full injury designations list.
Injury status
Player
Position
Injury
Designation
Khalil Mack
EDGE (starter)
Back
Questionable
Akiem Hicks
DE (starter)
Hamstring/Achillies
Questionable
Allen Robinson
WR (starter)
Knee
Questionable
Charles Leno
LT (starter)
Toe
Questionable
Germain Ifedi
RT (starter)
Calf
Questionable
Nick Foles
QB
Hip
Questionable
Darnell Mooney
WR
Knee
Questionable
James Vaughters
LB
Knee
Questionable
Josh Woods
LB
Foot
Questionable
Mack is, of course, the big name on the list, and while he did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday, coach Matt Nagy insisted holding him out was just precautionary and they expected him to play on Sunday. On Friday, he got in a limited practice and appears on track.
Hicks is by far the Bears’ second-best player on a deep defense, and after missing last week with injuries, he got two limited practices in this week and has the potential to play.
Robinson, the Bears’ best player on offense, popped up on the injury report on Friday and received the questionable tag. Like with Mack, Nagy is preaching caution and says they will be monitoring him leading up to the game.
Left tackle Leno missed practice on Wednesday but returned to two limited practices the rest of the week, while right tackle Ifedi — an injury replacement himself — saw three limited practices. Both seem likely to play on Sunday.
Foles, saw a limited practice on Wednesday, followed by two full practices on Thursday and Friday, but Nagy has already named Mitchell Trubisky as the starting quarterback. If Trubisky struggles, Foles appears to be ready to step in.
O’Daniel had been playing at a Pro Bowl level according to Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub.
Kansas City Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub confirmed on Thursday that the team expects to be without LB Dorian O’Daniel for some time after he suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 12 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He’s already been ruled out by the team for the Week 13 game against the Broncos.
O’Daniel hasn’t quite blossomed into the player that many hoped he could be on the defense, but he has been one of the most relied upon special teams players in Kansas City over the past three seasons. This year, in particular, O’Daniel is the second leading player in snaps on special teams to only Anthony Sherman. He has 292 total snaps with over 67% of the special teams snaps this year.
The team has come to rely on O’Daniel in each phase of special teams. Toub even believes he’s been one of the top NFL players in his particular role this season.
“He’s a four-phase starter, he’s on every phase,” Toub explained on Thursday. “He was playing on a Pro Bowl level this year. He’s our leading tackler, he’s doing great with blocking, so we’re going to miss him until he comes back. He’s got a high ankle sprain, so it’s going to take a minute. The good thing is we have a lot of players that we can replace him with, and we feel good going forward. We will be happy when he comes back.”
O’Daniel suffered the ankle injury on a fourth-and-6 punt by the Bucs in the first quarter of the game. The Chiefs shifted things around on special teams once O’Daniel left the game. On punt coverage, it was LB Damien Wilson who replaced him in the specific alignment. Wilson was already in on those plays and Deon Yelder was the new player added in when O’Daniel went out.
“We have something in our mind of who’s going to fill his role but I’m not going to talk about it right now,” Toub said.
It’s unclear if the team will continue to use Yelder and Wilson or have a different plan of action for Sunday night’s tilt with the Denver Broncos. Toub is holding things close to the vest, which could suggest a practice squad elevation or that a new player is made active and inserted into the special teams lineup.
When the Chiefs played the Broncos in Week 7, special teams were a big part of the game for Kansas City. Byron Pringle had a 102-yard kick return touchdown and Harrison Butker was 3-for-3 on field-goal attempts.
The Atlanta Falcons are feeling good after their 43-6 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
It’s time for a rematch. The Atlanta Falcons are feeling good after their 43-6 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Despite such a strong performance a week ago, the Falcons are the underdogs for this Sunday’s matchup against the New Orleans Saints. A win by Atlanta would go a long way in the team’s quest for a playoff bid, and as unlikely as it sounds, a postseason berth is still within a reasonable grasp.
Here are four things to keep an eye on when the Falcons welcome the Saints in Week 13.
Ito Smith or Brian Hill
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
With the injury to RB Todd Gurley, the Falcons were forced to rely on the production of Brian Hill and Ito Smith. While the pair struggled to get going in the first half, Smith separated himself from the two with his second half performance. Smith ended the day with 12 carries for 65 yards and one touchdown.
With Todd Gurley downgraded to out for Thursday’s practice, it would seem that the pair of Hill and Smith will be featured again in Week 13. Last season, Brian Hill was the feature back when Devonta Freeman went down with an injury against New Orleans. Hill went for 61 yards on 20 carries in the Falcons’ 26-9 win over their rivals.
Last Sunday was the first time Ito has had over five carries in 2020. It’s unclear if that one game is enough to unseat Hill as the second running back on the team, but that is a question that will likely be addressed against the Saints.
Containing Cam Jordan
Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Cam Jordan terrorized the Falcons offense’ during their first meeting two weeks ago. Out of the eight sacks given up by the Falcons, Jordan was responsible for three of them. Offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter addressed the media earlier in the week and thought his right tackle held up for the most part.
I thought Kaleb did fine until the fourth quarter and that’s really the same thing that happened in the second game last year compared to the first game last year. In the first game last year, we stayed ahead of the chains, ran the ball pretty well, we had the lead, and Kaleb did fine that game. The second game, we got behind, we had to throw it every play in the second half and Cam Jordan got rolling and that’s a tough matchup for anybody.
Over the course of the last three games, the Saints are second in the league, averaging 3.7 sacks per game. Historically, the Falcons haven’t done well containing Jordan, as his 20 sacks against Matt Ryan is an NFL record. Jordan has accounted for two or more sacks in five of the last six games. In the last two matchups alone, Jordan has accounted for seven sacks.
Offense needs to get going early
(AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
The Falcons’ offense has started to slow down over the past two games. If not for a Las Vegas penalty, the Falcons would have been held out of the end zone in the first half in both games. While kicking field goals is better than getting no points, you’re not going to beat the Saints with just field goals.
Atlanta has been poor in the red zone, with a 50 percent touchdown conversion rate, which is 27th in the league over the past three games. This is a stark difference from the 82 percent New Orleans has converted.
If the Falcons were to get off to a fast start, this could force the Saints to start passing the ball, something they are struggling to do without Drew Brees in the lineup. In Week 12 against Denver, the Saints totaled 229 yards on the ground on 44 combined carries with four scores.
Defense needs to force Taysom Hill to pass
Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
It’s no secret that passing the ball is not the New Orleans Saints quarterback’s strong suit. In his first two starts, Hill has amassed a total 311 yards on 39 attempts and one interception. Despite 233 of those yards coming in the Falcons first matchup with the Saints, this can mostly be attributed to the fact that the Falcons had no idea what to expect.
You can assume Taysom is the starter, but until there is quality game film of Hill at quarterback, it’s nearly impossible to prepare for what he brings. So for a defense that has been picked apart all season, it’s expected for Taysom to put up big numbers. I don’t expect the same thing the second go-around.
Against Denver, Hill only passed for 78 yards on nine completions with one interception and another fumble. He ended the game with a quarterback rating of 43. The young QB has yet to throw a touchdown pass in the NFL and shows no signs of ending that streak against Atlanta.
The Saints have averaged three offensive touchdowns the past three games. With the Falcons only averaging two a game, the defense will need to make up the ground to keep this game close.
Dan Benton, managing editor of Giants Wire, answers three questions for Seahawks fans ahead of the New York vs. Seattle contest in Week 13.
The Seattle Seahawks will host the New York Giants in Week 13 at Lumen Field. Ahead of the matchup, Giants Wire managing editor, Dan Benton, answered three questions for Seahawks fans.
Jets guard Alex Lewis missed Week 12 with a non-injury reason but Adam Gase won’t say why he isn’t with the team.
The strangest story of the Jets’ 2020 season appears no closer to being explained.
It’s been a week since the Jets listed guard Alex Lewis as questionable for a non-injury reason and five days since he missed New York’s Week 12 loss to the Dolphins. Adam Gase has since refused to explain Lewis’ absence and continued to keep everything a secret when asked on Friday.
To summarize: Lewis won’t play again vs. the Raiders, is not dealing with an injury and is not being disciplined. His roster spot is not in jeopardy, he hasn’t spoken to Gase in 24 hours and Gase “couldn’t answer” if Lewis will be available in the future. Lewis is, however, attending virtual meetings.
Come again?
This is classic Gase. He’s touting the same mantra of handling team decisions in-house with Lewis as he did with past confrontations with Le’Veon Bell, Jamal Adams and Kelechi Osemele. This one is especially confusing, though, since no one but Gase seemingly understands why Lewis is being reprimanded, including players like fellow guard Greg Van Roten.
It’s especially strange considering Lewis was one of the biggest supporters of Gase this past summer. Lewis said he had “mad respect for coach Gase” and that Gase was “building a winning culture” in New York. That last part obviously wasn’t true.
To make matters worse, Lewis’ replacement, Pat Elflein, struggled against the Dolphins and has been limited in practice this week with a shoulder injury, per SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano.
Gase said he will be able to talk more about Lewis’ situation once the organization comes to a “resolution,” but there’s no telling when exactly that will be or what that even means.
The New Orleans Saints have been picked to win their Week 13 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons, but plenty of NFL experts like an upset.
[jwplayer PiBQcq0d-ThvAeFxT]
Can the New Orleans Saints sweep the Atlanta Falcons with a Week 13 win? Sure, they can. But it might not be the likeliest outcome. The Saints have only swept Atlanta once in the last four seasons, winning both matchups in 2018. There’s good reasons for this rivalry being the NFL’s best: unlike, say, Packers-Bears, it’s actually competitive.
And per NFL Pickwatch, the experts are taking notice. While the Saints manhandled the Falcons in their Week 11 meeting, Atlanta’s surprising blowout win against the Las Vegas Raiders has the experts conflicted. While 75% of picks are coming in for the Saints to pull off the sweep, a solid 25% minority are taking the Falcons.
Maybe it works out for them. The Saints are 2-1 at the Falcons’ Mercedes-Benz Stadium since its opening in 2017, and Taysom Hill turned in an uninspiring performance against the more-complex Denver Broncos pass defense a week ago. It’s possible Atlanta learned some things.
Then again, it’s possible the Saints still haven’t taken the training wheels off Hill’s version of the Saints offense. With a playoff-clinching scenario on hand, it’s time for Hill and the Saints to pull out all the stops and bring the hammer down on the Falcons.
Where should Dolphins focus their offensive attack Week 13?
The Miami Dolphins got back to their winning ways in Week 12 of the 2020 NFL season with a smothering defensive effort against the New York Jets, bringing their season series to New York to a close with two wins by a combined 44-3 score. Needless to say, Miami out-classed and out-coached the Jets in 2020. But there’s more work to be done for these Miami Dolphins and if Miami is successfully going to claim a postseason berth this year, they’re looking at a matchup they cannot afford to lose in Week 13 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
How can the Dolphins take advantage against Cincinnati to score their eighth win of the season? Here are some areas of emphasis for Miami on offense:
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) congratulates Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) after Fitzpatrick threw his third touchdown pass of the game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, October 18, 2020. [ALLEN EYESTONE/The Palm Beach Post]
Call concepts to the quarterback’s strength
If Tua Tagovailoa is the quarterback, continue to emphasize the run-pass option concepts and took to put defenders in a bind. There will be no shortage of opportunities to attack the Bengals back seven and Miami should have a sufficient athleticism and experience advantage when testing anyone not named Jessie Bates III for the Bengals.
If Ryan Fitzpatrick is the quarterback, expect Miami to continue to spread the field and take quick profits in the passing game. Fitzpatrick’s accuracy may cut a few drives short, but there’s no reason this game couldn’t follow a similar script to the one we saw last week with Fitzpatrick behind center if he’s once again called into action.
Where should Dolphins focus their defensive attack Week 13?
The Miami Dolphins got back to their winning ways in Week 12 of the 2020 NFL season with a smothering defensive effort against the New York Jets, bringing their season series to New York to a close with two wins by a combined 44-3 score. Needless to say, Miami out-classed and out-coached the Jets in 2020. But there’s more work to be done for these Miami Dolphins and if Miami is successfully going to claim a postseason berth this year, they’re looking at a matchup they cannot afford to lose in Week 13 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
How can the Dolphins take advantage of some injuries in Cincinnati to score their eighth win of the season? Here are some areas of emphasis for Miami on defense:
Nov 29, 2020; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard (25) celebrates his interception of a pass thrown by New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold (14) with teammates during the second half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Don’t worry about shadowing receivers with Xavien Howard
The Dolphins have faced some great receivers over the course of the season. They won’t find any in this contest. A.J. Green is a shell of himself. Rookie Tee Higgins has plenty of talent but he’s also still a rookie — and so Miami should look to take advantage down the field with their stud cornerback duo no matter who is in coverage. One thing to consider is who will cover slot receiver Tyler Boyd. Boyd is a viable threat and a good player, so the Dolphins need to either be comfortable with Nik Needham drawing him from the slot or otherwise consider moving someone else to shadow him. But that wouldn’t like be Howard’s assignment.
A look at the second injury report of the week for the Chiefs and Broncos.
The Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos have released their second injury reports of the week on Thursday. Both teams had new players who didn’t participate in practice.
Check out the injury report for each team down below:
